Xbox and Windows 7 Sales Ban Hits Germany

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German court bans sale of key products in the country, Microsoft to appeal.

By Steven Hopper

Things are tenuous in the States for Microsoft following a court ruling that could see the halting of Xbox 360 hardware imports, but the situation is pretty dire in Germany at the moment. It is being reported today that a German court ruling has granted Motorola Mobility an injunction against the distribution of Microsoft products in the country, including the Xbox 360 console, Windows 7 software, Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player.

The ban follows a court ruling that found Microsoft in violation of two patents involving H.264 video coding and playback. Conversely, a US court has banned Motorola from any action until the matter is considered next week.

In a statement following the German ruling, Motorola said: "We are pleased that the Mannheim Court found that Microsoft products infringe Motorola Mobility's intellectual property. As a path forward, we remain open to resolving this matter. Fair compensation is all that we have been seeking for our intellectual property."

Microsoft plans to appeal the German ruling. "This is one step in a long process, and we are confident that Motorola will eventually be held to its promise to make its standard essential patents available on fair and reasonable terms for the benefit of consumers who enjoy video on the web," a Microsoft spokesman said. "Motorola is prohibited from acting on today's decision, and our business in Germany will continue as usual while we appeal this decision and pursue the fundamental issue of Motorola's broken promise."